The much-talked-about trade talks between Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders for star batter KL Rahul have not materialized ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. This was the second big move that did not go through after CSK's attempt to trade for the services of Washington Sundar did not see the light of day. As per the reports, KKR were keen on getting KL Rahul as their captain and wicketkeeper-batter. However, their discussion with DC didn't go as expected owing to differences in trade demands. DC's Demand to Trade KL Rahul KL Rahul was picked by Delhi Capitals for ₹14 crore in the IPL 2025 auction, which was pretty reasonable compared to the record-breaking signings of Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant. To let go of Rahul, DC reportedly made three different trade proposals to KKR, all of which were rejected: DC's Trade Demand KKR's Respone Direct swap with Sunil Narine Rejected - Narine is KKR’s legend and match-winner Angkrish Raghuvanshi + Rinku Singh Rejected - Both are key young players Angkrish Raghuvanshi + Harshit Rana Rejected - KKR unwilling to trade both promising players Also Read | IPL 2026: Five Players KKR Could Target in Trade and Mini Auction Why KKR Refused the Trade According to reports, it was KKR's new head coach, Abhishek Nayar, who played a key role in rejecting the proposals. Nayar is particularly close to Angkrish, having trained him personally, and sees him as a big part of the team's future. Meanwhile, Sunil Narine continues to be one of KKR's most valuable players, someone who has been loyal to the team and can still win games with both bat and ball. Rinku Singh and Harshit Rana are also seen as long-term assets for the team. Both started their IPL journeys with KKR and are expected to stay with the franchise for many years ahead. For these reasons, KKR decided not to go ahead with the trade, though they are still on the lookout for a solid leader and wicketkeeper-batter ahead of the new season. This trade not coming off implies that DC will retain Rahul for IPL 2026, and KKR might be looking ahead to other options for captaincy. More trading updates and big calls are expected to watch out in the coming weeks as teams start their preparation for IPL 2026 mega auctions.